A view of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, at Vidhana Soudha in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
Eight major Bills were tabled and passed by the Karnataka Legislative Assembly within an hour on Monday (August 24, 2026) without debate, as BJP and JD(S) members stormed the well of the House demanding the resignation of Minister B. Nagendra, who has been chargesheeted in the alleged embezzlement of funds in the Maharshi Valmiki Scheduled Tribes Development Corporation.
Among the bills was the Karnataka Government Parks (Preservation) (Amendment) Bill, 2026, which seeks to separate 5% of park land in the form sale, lease, gift, exchange or mortgage for public utility projects undertaken by government departments, statutory authorities, government companies or local bodies.
The amendment is largely aimed at facilitating infrastructure projects, including the proposed 17.1-km Bengaluru North-South Twin Tunnel Road, which will connect Hebbal with Central Silk Board Junction. If enacted, the law could potentially allow up to 5% of the land at Lalbagh Botanical Garden to be utilised for such projects.
The proposal has already drawn strong opposition from citizen groups, environmentalists and BJP MPs from Bengaluru.
Land previously alienated
The Bill provides for an evaluation mechanism headed by the Additional Chief Secretary, along with designated officers and domain experts, to assess proposals for using park and garden land before making recommendations to the government.
It stipulates that the 5% ceiling will include land previously alienated, while routine development undertaken by the Horticulture Department for its own administrative and allied purposes will remain outside the restriction.
The amendment also provides a legal framework for using small portions of horticulture farms for projects such as post-processing facilities, cold-storage units, production of improved crop varieties and agro-based industries benefiting local farmers, subject to recorded reasons establishing public interest and necessity.
Earlier cases of use of park land
The Bill cites previous instances of park land being used for road widening and Metro projects. These include 1,223 sq metres of the Indira Gandhi Musical Fountain Park given to the erstwhile BBMP for road widening, and 1,135 sq metres of Lalbagh Gardens, along with a portion of its western compound wall, transferred to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited for construction of an elevated Metro station on R.V. Road.
It also cites portions of Cubbon Park that have been used for Metro and other public infrastructure projects.
During the passage of the Bill, BJP and JD(S) members raised slogans such as “carpet for Adani and biscuit for Bengaluru public”, accusing the government of moving closer to Adani Group chairman Gautam Adani in connection with the tunnel project.
Mr. Adani had met Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar at the latter’s residence in Sadashivanagar, Bengaluru, on August 23.
Before the commencement of the Assembly session, BJP members gathered at the Freedom Park in Bengaluru and later marched towards Vidhana Soudha to lay siege, seeking resignation of Nagendra.
Published – August 24, 2026 04:36 pm IST
